Galong

Just note that the cost to enter Florida's Everglades NP is 10 usd for one car-one week. Who is reasonable I ask you?

And, I might add, the park is well maintained. There aren't piles of trash sitting around everywhere. Loud music isn't allowed. You can't disturb the other guests or wildlife. In other words, they actually enforce the laws!

I said earlier that I would be more than happy to pay even more than 400 Baht if the quality of the parks increased... meaning, Thai laws on protecting the environment are enforced, laws about disturbing wildlife and other tourists are enforced and better management in general takes place. We all know that none of this will happen of course. THAT is why I'm a whinger.

dont know what all the fuss is about, whats 400 baht

Personally national parks bore me to death and you wont see me at one, but if you want to go just pay up or jump the fence. Simple as that.

having a whinge about it doesnt do anything

You're exactly the type of punter they're targetting

Touché !!

yes , double pricing is for those who are happy to be taken advantage of on grounds of race.

this second doubling to 400b should be music to the ears and pleasure to the pockets of those who believe that all foriegners are rich , and all thais are poor , (even the ones turning up at the parks in 2 million baht suv's with 21st century camping equipment and tv's and dvd's ) and its our duty to patronisingly and sheepishly pay them what they unfairly demand of us.

I spent over one million baht in Khao Sok National Park last year. I go there every week and all I'm seeing is more cheap charlie mass tourism operators coming in to party. I've seen nothing done to help make this wonderful place a true natural/national treasure.

If you save your receipt you wouldn't have to keep paying entry fee

Say what? I do that already. Each time a new westerner arrives, I must purchase a new park ticket. I don't get where you're coming from... sorry, please explain.

huh?

so ... you are taking 1000 new foriegners a week to the park?

No silly Sally... I take a few people per week. We stay for a few days on each trip.

The million baht wasn't for the park fee, but for all expenses - longtail transfers, bungalows, food, drinks, etc. Man, talk about reading between them thar lines.

Eeeew, isn't that the part that walks around in chicken poopies all day? Sorry, but no amount of washing or boiling can't get that out of my mind... yuk!

It's sad, but I see that it's very easy for youngsters to get cigarettes and alcohol... much easier than it was when I was young. Part of the problem with the lack of law enforcement is that kids can do whatever they want.

Unfortunately, what many of them seem to want is what they see their elders doing... drinking and smoking.

Question: are there any strong role models in Thailand? Perhaps footballers or other athletes??

law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves against criminals as many as 2.5 million times every year

its probably too late for you guys in the US to turn back from gun ownership,....

Any reason why they should?

oh no no im a convert, just think i could spot a guy buying a really terrible shirt, and blow his brains out thereby preventing a heinious fashion crime. what about those fat women who buy grossly tight lycra shorts, doing the world a favour IMHO.

Are you under some impression that its typical for law abiding Americans to carry guns in public?

Perhaps not many carry them 'in public', but a lot have them in their cars. I was once driving on a dark highway in West Virginia and a car with two obviously drunk buttholes started bumping into my rear bumper. They went around me and started slamming on their brakes. Then, the passenger rolled down his window to show me that he had a gun. Well, so did I and when I let them know that I had a gun, suddenly they didn't feel like hassling me. I'm glad it ended like that.

I wish the world wasn't so screwed up that I would even consider carrying a gun, but alas, the reality of the situation is that there are plenty of gun-toting bad guys out there. I don't want to become a statistic.

Does anyone know if telescopic spring stell batons are availabe locally and from where? Also, is pepper spray available here. BTW I once inquired about importing a shotgun I have overeas to here. I merely needed to fill out a form and get a letter from my local police commander giving approval. I have a friend who is a retired Air Forse general and he says the importing is no big deal. I never pursued it because a) I wasn't really sure I wanted a gun here, and b ) just being able to import it does not ensure one can register it, which I never really checked out.

The problem with bats, sprays, battons, etc is that you have to be close to the attacker. A bullet travels far. If there is someone standing at my front gate with a gun and me standing in my doorway some 20 meters away what am I to do? Throw the bat at him??

I agree 100% that using a non-lethal weapon is by far the first choice, but what if your choices are limited to distance issues?

As far as the suggestion that if one lives in an area that's dangerous, that person should move... well, where is a place without guns and violence? I love where I live, but I don't want to move just because there is the remote possibility that I could be attacked by a gun in the hand of a teenager.

yes , double pricing is for those who are happy to be taken advantage of on grounds of race.

this second doubling to 400b should be music to the ears and pleasure to the pockets of those who believe that all foriegners are rich , and all thais are poor , (even the ones turning up at the parks in 2 million baht suv's with 21st century camping equipment and tv's and dvd's ) and its our duty to patronisingly and sheepishly pay them what they unfairly demand of us.

I spent over one million baht in Khao Sok National Park last year. I go there every week and all I'm seeing is more cheap charlie mass tourism operators coming in to party. I've seen nothing done to help make this wonderful place a true natural/national treasure.

If you save your receipt you wouldn't have to keep paying entry fee

Say what? I do that already. Each time a new westerner arrives, I must purchase a new park ticket. I don't get where you're coming from... sorry, please explain.

KhunMarco, shame on you for stereotyping Westerners.

Herm , just for the record , the post you are referring was written by billd766

I'm absolutely on your side

My bad! Sorry...

The gov tried to do this same thing many years ago. The feedback from the dive industry here was that Thailand would be wiped off the dive destination map if they tried to boot all of the Western dive master out and replace them with Thai dive masters.

The BIGGEST issue is safety. Sure, many Thais are very capable of completing a dive master course, BUT culturally, Thais are ridiculously inept when it comes to safety. They, for the most part, don't even wear helmets when riding motorbikes, they put their kids in front of them and have them hold onto the mirrors, they'll run a red light at the drop of a hat, and so on. Would you trust your LIFE to a Thai divemaster? The gov is betting on 'yes', reality is that the overwhelming answer across the globe is 'no'!

I'm sure there is a lot of money being made that isn't taxed, but that problem exists all across the board. Why pick on the dive industry. Well, I'll answer my own question: because foreigners are easy to harass and we don't have the rights to fight back.

"The proposal is based on recommendations by a committee, headed by Palad Nivit, which was set up amid allegations that many dive businesses run by foreigners on the island are evading tax."

I love this kind of stuff. Well, let's see, I wonder if anyone else in Thailand evades taxes...hmmm, I can't think of anyone who hails from Chiang Mai who might fit the bill.

yes , double pricing is for those who are happy to be taken advantage of on grounds of race.

this second doubling to 400b should be music to the ears and pleasure to the pockets of those who believe that all foriegners are rich , and all thais are poor , (even the ones turning up at the parks in 2 million baht suv's with 21st century camping equipment and tv's and dvd's ) and its our duty to patronisingly and sheepishly pay them what they unfairly demand of us.

Now THAT is hitting the nail on the head. I am sick and tire of the 'poor Thais' BS. There are plenty of Thais will a lot more money than I will ever have.

I'm sorry, but basing a price on skin color is low-class, blatant racism.

I go to national parks all the time. IF they actually did something to improve the parks, like enforcing the noise laws, I'd be happy to pay more. IF they cleaned up all of the trash that the locals leave behind, I'd be happier with the price imbalance. IF they did anything to improve the quality of live for the animals that live in the parks, I'd be happy to pay even more. But, the reality of the situation is that this extra money will go into Benz payments in many cases.

KhunMarco, shame on you for stereotyping Westerners. Assuming (or saying) that most or all Westerners are here to shag poor little Thais and get drunk everynight makes you look like a real dumbass. I, for one, am here for nature and the weather. All I ask out of the government is fairness in pricing and the enforcing of their own laws designed to protect Nature.

I spent over one million baht in Khao Sok National Park last year. I go there every week and all I'm seeing is more cheap charlie mass tourism operators coming in to party. I've seen nothing done to help make this wonderful place a true natural/national treasure.

Thanks for all of the advice... most of it very good.

A. I have very high-level friends in Phuket (where I live) and one of them got a motorbike accident bill down from over 25,000 Baht to under 4,000 Bht. A guy ran into me and, of course, I was told to pay by the cops. Well, to make a long story short, the bike guy and the mechanic basically thought they were going to get me to buy the guy a new bike... ha! try again. You should have seen their faces when my buddy came in... priceless.

B. Jail is better than death. If I've got a street gang on my booty, I've got to do whatever keeps the blood inside my body.

C. "electrical zappers", yep, gonna get one to keep beside my Louisville Slugger. :-)

D. I've got five dogs. I don't want to put their lives in jeopardy unless absolutely unavoidable. What would most likely happen is the bad guys would come back and poison them anyway.

Times seem to be changing and not in a good direction. I don't remember ever hearing about Thais pulling guns on anyone Thai or foreign a decade ago. Thai TV is promoting gun violence just like American TV does. Perhaps this has something to do with it. I don't know. All I know is I don't want to be a victim of a gang. I need some sort of self-defence.

Peace (I hope)

Things could be worse... Thaksin could ask George W for advice.... doh!

The apparent only solution would be to sit down and see exactly what they want. Naw, that would likely be seen as weakness and a loss of face. Heaven forbid Thaksin put the safety of OTHER people ahead of his pride...

Oh great, yet more animals to be abused. Poor horses. They shouldn't be subjected to the noise, pollution and traffic on the streets... actually, no one should.

Where are they going to get the horses? How is the 'winning' bidder for the horses going to be chosen? Who is going to take care of the horses?

Economically speaking, bicycles are the way to go (as Astral pointed out). But that would mean excercising.

This is a wonderful move. Now I will only have one department ignore me when I send photos of poachers and people trashing the national parks.

So, is Thailand becoming the short-temper-shoot-first-think-later hub too.

I shoot too quick some times too

But only because I want to move on to another "target" quickly, but have to "finish off" the current mark first.

I only have one gun though, so I will usually take my time, take good aim and maintain control throughout. Then I don't have to worry about "reloading" as quickly.

Has it ever 'accidently' went off in your hand?

Where can we find out what supplements/drugs are legal in Thailand and which aren't?

Different countries have different rules regarding what they think is bad and I would like to avoid any nasty surprises by taking something that is fine at home but not here.

Thanks guys.

Hey Big Guy,

I don't know if it's actually legal, but one of the pharmacies in Phuket Town has steroids openly displayed... including dianabol and injectable testosterone!

Are you really 7 foot tall?

gang of motorbike punks? where do you live?

soundslike you could use a tek-9 semiautomatic handgun with 20 shot clip

I live on the edge of Phuket Town.

There's an article on the Phuket Gazette online about a gang of motorbike teens who are terrorizing motorists on the road between Kalim and Kamala. check out this page

The cops can't be everywhere at all times, so I would like to protect myself. I hope that's legal.

Well, after reading that two guys were shot and killed in Pattaya because they made too much noise when cheering for a soccer game I'm wondering - is it just me or are more people being shot these days over absolutely NOTHING? I mean come on, if I shot everyone who woke me up or who made so much noise that I couldn't hear myself think, I'd be committing mass murder! My neighborhood would be devoid of people!!

I'm actually wondering if I should try to get a handgun for self defense. I'm serious. I've been followed by a gang of motorbike punks recently. They followed me all the way home and stood outside my gate throwing beer bottles at me. There really wasn't anything keeping them from coming in, I'm just glad they didn't. What can I do against a gang of teenagers hel_l-bent on causing my bodily harm? Nothing really.

Question: is it possible to legally purchase a handgun? How about a shotgun so I can protect my family on my property?

Good thing I'm not a big fan of soccer... this could save my life.

Details are as follows:

yada, yada, yada...

Work Permit not required.

Cheers

Steve

So, is Steve going to pay your fine when you get caught working without a work permit? This is a load of crap. The authorities can round up anyone who is WORKING without a work permit if they so choose.

Stevie Boy "will not be taking e mails or messages on this forum" Hmmm, sounds like something worth risking being put in jail for or deported for to me.

Too bad we can't ask Stevie Boy how much of the profits will go towards those who actually are still suffering from the disaster. Man, the world is sure full of folks who appear to put $$ ahead of morals and ethics.

So, is Thailand becoming the short-temper-shoot-first-think-later hub too.

She wrote down a telephone number to give to me and mumbled something. The only words I understood were “Farang and America”. Yes , I thought. We Americans are a funny lot. We are known to be great tippers, (so the employees of diving companies in Khao Lak tell me) but we can be a pain in the arse, whenever we don’t get a fair return for whatever services we pay for. As expected my call to the number resulted in the usual “no Ingless”.

May pen rai.

This is the type of racist crap that will forever keep Thailand in the Third World. I get so tired of hearing the word farang when they could say 'this guy' or that tall dorky-looking guy or something else. I went to all the trouble to learn Thai and I often think I'd be better off not knowing what they're saying about me.

Also, there seems to be a huge lack of responsibility in this country. It's always someone else who is wrong. This is a problem from the mop to the top. [maids to the PM in case you didn't get it]

Why on earth the telephone company couldn't direct you to someone in the office who actually speaks English is odd. Oh, maybe none of them can speak English.

I hope you didn't give a tip

The best place to learn English would be in England, the US, Australia, etc.

Since when did the Yanks speak English ?

We gots that Microsoft thingy and the spell checkerer says that I'm good at Inglish.

OK Lampy, I went to the trouble of Googling 'collingwood' and saw photos of a lot of fat chicks.... :-(

I'm a recently converted fan of the AFL... great game that... sez a Yank.